The Week That Was: Impressive Performances in Iowa, New England, and More

It was a great weekend to be a fan of action motorsports this Saturday and Sunday, as some of the top racing series in the world produced a thrilling set of events across the globe. From a pair of drivers taking the #5 to victory in open-wheel action on both sides of the Atlantic, to a popular duo taking its first overall sports car victory in Canada, here are some of the drivers who impressed this weekend:

NHRA: Steve Torrence

Torrence landed his fifth Top Fuel victory of the 2018 season on the way to extending his points lead once again at the NHRA New England Nationals. He beat Dan Mercier, Shawn Reed, and Tony Schumacher in the first three rounds to set up a final round matchup with close friend and Mint 400 Polaris RZR Star Car teammate Antron Brown. His 3.909 at 320.74 mph took down Brown’s 3.948 at 315.12 mph, denying Brown his 50th career Top Fuel victory while giving Torrence his 21st.

Lucas Oil Pro Motocross: Marvin Musquin

Eli Tomac isn’t invincible after all. While Tomac DNFed in the first moto at RedBud, Musquin made lemonade from lemons by recovering from a first-turn crash to finish second to Ken Roczen. Then, the French rider won the second moto to take his second consecutive overall event victory. Tomac’s 32-point advantage in the championship standings turned into a three-point deficit, as Musquin’s recent surge has set up a tight battle between the two rivals going into the final five rounds of the season.

Verizon IndyCar Series: James Hinchcliffe

It’s been an up and down season for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ popular veteran driver, as Hinchcliffe was an unlikely DNQ at the double-points Indianapolis 500. But while the Canadian’s championship hopes may have fallen by the wayside in May, he got on the board for the first time this season at Iowa Speedway by making a late race on Josef Newgarden and holding onto the lead during a late caution that ended up closing out the race.

IMSA: Colin Braun and Jon Bennett

The driver duo of Braun and Bennett has defined the CORE autosport squad as one of sports car racing’s most identifiable duos for quite a while, but it wasn’t until this weekend’s IMSA round from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park that they were able to take the victory in the series’ highest Prototype class. Just a week after Braun qualified on pole and the team finished second at Watkins Glen, the duo did one better in Ontario as Braun passed Jordan Taylor to lead the final eight laps of the race.

Formula 1: Sebastian Vettel

Vettel denied Britain’s own Lewis Hamilton not only a chance to claim the F1 points lead, but also the opportunity to win his record-setting sixth British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday. While Hamilton put his Mercedes on pole, the Ferrari driver took the lead on the first lap and reclaimed the top spot from Valtteri Bottas late in the race; meanwhile, first-lap contact forced Hamilton to recover from last to second. With his fourth win of the season, Vettel extended his advantage from a single point to eight.